Grille device in air-conditioning



Jan. 17, 1967 YOSHIAKI IWATA GRILLE DEVICE IN AIR-CONDITIONING 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Marph 10, 1964 -1NVENTOR. YOSH/AKI lW/JTA n- 1967 YOSHIAKI IWATA 3,

GRILLE DEVICE IN AIR-CONDITIONING Filed March 10, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGZ IN V EN TOR.

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GRILLE DEVICE IN AIR-CONDITIONING Filed March 10, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. YOS'H/AKI IWATA United States Patent Ofilice ken, Japan Filed Mar. 10, 1964, Ser. No. 350,786 2 Claims. (Cl. 98-41)) The present invention is concerned with improvements in the register of an air conditioning unit and has particular reference to a device of this character which antomatically controls the direction of treated air supply to the interior of a centrally air conditioned building in response to the temperature change between hot and cold.

In theair conditioned space, due to the specific gravity of air layers changing with temperature, warmer air moves upwardly and stays near the ceiling of the room while cooler air movesdownwardly toward the fioor. To more or less control the flow of treated air from ductwork connecting to a central air-conditioning equipmentor from a room-mounted unit, it has been the practice to manually change the position of the discharge grille in the register and orient the air flow in the direction desired. This practice is tedious work involving time and labor when the grille segments to-be adjusted are large in number.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide'simple, novel'means for automaticallydirecting the ilow of treated air toward places in the room Where airconditioning is more eifectively served.

It is another important object of the invention to provide a device of this character which is easily mounted in ductwork and which is capable of automatic'adjustment between selected upward and downward positions.

It is a further object of the invention to provide improved means which controls the direction of the air conditioned air flow by expansion and contraction of a gassealed compartment in response to the varying temperature of the air.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a register device of a wall-mounted type embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view partly broken away and taken on the line II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a register device of a ceiling-mounted type which is another embodiment of the invention, and

FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line II-II of FIG. 4.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 wherein the register system of the invention is generally designated at 100, the reference numeral 1 designates a framing or bracket member anchored at one end to the wall of a building near the opening of a ductwork and secured at the other end by bolts 2 to a generally rectangular unit casing of channel-form 3. Designated at 4 is a duct framework terminating at the edge of the wall. The unit casing of channel-form 3 has journalled therein the operative mechanisms of the invention and communicates with the discharge end of ductwork (not illustrated). Designated at 5 is a gas bellows having gas sealed therein and which is seated across a washer 6 onto a bellows receptacle 7. The bellows receptacle 7 is in threaded engagement with a bellows adjusting screw 8 and is secured to the unit casing 3. The bellows 5 is secured in place by a support member 9 and has mounted thereon a cap 10 which is connected across a shaft member or neck 11 to a lower spring seat 12 carrying thereon an end of a helical spring 13. This spring is carried at the other end thereof by PatentedJan. 17, 1967 an upper spring seat 14 which is in threaded engagement with a spring adjusting screw 15. The screw 15 has integrallyformed therewith a wheel. 16 which-is provided with a head 17 fitting snug in the upper wall of the unit casing 3.

There are provided a plurality of slate of bar members 18 which extend horizontally in spaced-apart relation and substantially to the full length of the rectangular casing 3 and which are pivoted centrally by pins 19 to the side wall of the framework 1. The horizontal bar members 18 are rotata-bly connected across pins 20 to a vertical guide bar or lever 21 which is inturn connected by a pair of rollers 22 to a horizontal rod lever 23 which is secured by stop pin 24 to the shaft member 11 connecting the helical spring 13 and bellows 5.

There are also provided a plurality of vertical bar members 25 which are pivotally connected by pins 26 at both ends to the wall of the framing 1. These vertical bar members 25 are in crossed relation with the horizontal bar members 18, so that the assembly would appear like a grille when viewed from the front of the unit, as this is schematically illustrated at FIG. 2.

With this construction, the device of the invention will function as follows:

It will be appreciated that the registerunit generally designated at is in neutral position as shown in FIG. 1. Assuming that the room is beingheated, the treated warm air supply from air-conditioning equipment flows through the ductwork into contact with the discharge unit 100 and thereafter enters the room. The bellows 6, which has previously been filled with a suitable gas through an inlet 27 and sealed by a plug 28, expands in contact with the warm air and lifts the horizontal lever 23 against the tension of the helical spring 13. The horizontal lever 23 moves upwardly with the vertical guide lever 21, whereupon all of the horizontal bar members begin to tilt about their respective pins 19; In this instance, it will be appreciated that the vertical guide lever 21 tends to slide slightly toward the front of the unit, for which purpose a pair of rollers 22 are adapted to permit such movement of the guide lever 21 with minimum friction with the horizontal lever 23. For the same purpose, each of the horizontal bar members 18 is provided with anoblong groove 29 to permit the pin 20'to move therein.

' Thus, the flow of treated air is directed downwardly toward the floor by the arrangement of the horizontal slat members 18 as these are inclined face down and all in a parallel and equally spaced apart relation. As a result, the room is effectively air-conditioned to give maximum comfort to the occupants. The manner in which the horizontal grille members 18 incline in response to the expanding action of the bellows 5 is shown with the bottom member 30 as an example.

Conversely, when the air-conditioning is provided to cool the room atmosphere during hot seasons, the gassealed bellows 5 contracts in contact with cold air coming through ductwork. This contraction of the bellows 5 causes a lowering of the horizontal lever 23 which in turn causes the vertical lever 21 to descend. Consequently, the horizontal slat members or air flow guide members 18 move clockwise about pins 19 all at the same time and assume up-face positions thereby causing the flow of cold air to advance upwardly toward the ceiling of the room which would otherwise descend collectively toward the floor on account of its gravity being greater than the room air.

However, when the bellows 5 shrinks due to contraction of the gas contained therein in contact with cold atmosphere, it does not shrink as quickly as it expands in contact with hot air. That is, the action of a bellows is known to draw a hysteresis curve. In order to maintain the bellows action uniform, according to the invention, the helical spring 13 is adapted to control the contracting tendency of the bellows 5.

Reference to FIG. 2 shows how the unit is secured as a whole within the opening of the ductwork. The unit is centrally supported by a horizontal beam member 31 which is hooked with bends 33, illustrated in FIG. 3, to the unit casing 3. The upper portion of the unit is kept in slidable engagement with the vertical wall of the casing 2 by means of another beam member 32 to the casing 3. Here, it will be appreciated that the central beam member 31 is disposed to be slidable vertically along grooves 34 formed in the unit casing 3 in response to the expansion and contraction of the bellows 5.

In order to obtain the desired angle of each of the horizontal slat members 18 in view of the specific circumstances of the room to be air conditioned, the bellows may be initially adjusted by means of the screws 8 and/or the tension of the helical spring 13 may be similarly adjusted by turning the wheel 16.

The foregoing example of the register device is one of the preferred embodiments of the invention which is suitable for mounting in the opening of a ductwork located at the side wall of a building.

.FIG. 4 illustrates another preferred embodiment of the invention which is a ceiling-mounted type register device communicating with ductwork laid in the ceiling of a building.

The register unit generally designated at 100 comprises a ring 2 secured by screws 3 to the internal peripheral wall 1 of the ductwork, an annular tapered air deflector 4 attached at the lower flared peripheral end thereof to the ceiling and fastened at the upper circular flanged portion thereof bybolt means 5 to the ring member 2 and an inner ring member 6 having a plurality of grooves 7 formed in equally spaced apart relation around the peripheral edge thereof, as more clearly shown in FIG. 5, said grooves 7 being adapted to engage'the corresponding projections or pins 8 extending from the circular portion of the annular air deflector 4. Each groove 7 in the ring 6 is curved horizontally like an L form so that when the ring 6 is inserted and'turned slightly clockwise, the grooves 7 lock the pins 8 in place so as to retain the inner ring 6 in place. The rings 2 and 4 are provided peripherally with flange members 21 of a lug terminal shape, as shown in FIG. 5, to which the bolt means 5 is used to join the circular portion of the air deflector 4 to the supporting ring 2.

Designated at 9 is a bellows which is supported by three arms 10 extending radially from an annular head 16 and welded to the inner ring 6. These three equally divided arms 10 are fixedly connected at one end thereof with a bellows seat 15, while the annular head 16 is in threaded engagement with an adjusting screw 17 fixedly connected to a spring washer 18 and adapted to adjust the tension of a helical spring 11. To hold the bellows 9 securely in place, the helical spring 11 is inserted about halfway into the bellows body, for which purpose the spring 11 is journalled in a spring receptacle 12. Similarly as in the case of the register device shown in FIG. 1, the bellows 9 is filled with a gas through a. gas injecting hole 13 and sealed with a threaded plug, 14.

Designated at 19 is a disc or air current control membar which is secured to the bellows cap 20 by means of flange members 21 fastened together with a fixing screw 22, one of said flange members is welded to a vertical support member 23 extending from the disc 19.

The function of the above register device described in connection with FIGS. 4 and 5 is practically the same as that of the first example illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3, inclusive. Basically, the action of the bellows 9 is utilized to elevate and lower the disc 19.

4- The use of the spring 11 is intended to eliminate the time lag inherent in the bellows action.

With this construction, it will be appreciated that the bellows 9 expands in contact with warm supply air and causes the disc 19 to ascend from the position of FIG. 4 so that the air velocity is directed downwardly toward the floor of a building. Conversely with cool air supplied during hot season, the bellows 9 contracts causing the disc 19 to descend and guide the air flow in the horizontal direction.

While a few specific forms of the invention have been described in some detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise constructions described. On the contrary, the invention is not to be regarded as limited except insofar as possible limitations are included within the terms of the accepted claims in which it is the intention to claim all novelty inherent in the invention as broadly as is permissible in view of the prior art.

Having thus described the invention, what is now claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In an air-conditioning system in which treated air a is discharged through a ductwork apparatus for automatically adjusting the direction of the discharged air upon change in the temperature of the air comprising a bellows having gas sealed therein and positioned in the ductwork, a lever extending laterally of said bellows,a

plurality of equally spaced horizontal slats pivotally mounted in the ductwork, a second lever pivotally connected to said slats, a pair of rollers rotatably mounted on said second level, one end of said first lever slideably extending between said rollers providing a sliding and operative connection between said levers, means adjustably supporting said bellows at one end, a pair of caps connected to the opposite end of said first lever, said bellows having its other end seated in one of said caps and adjustable resilient means having an end seated in the other of said caps and tending to move said first lever opposite end in a direction opposite to the direction of expansion of said bellows.

2. In an air-conditioning system in which treated air is discharged through a ductwork opening in a ceiling apparatus for automatically adjusting the direction of the discharged air upon change in the temperature of the air comprising an annular outwardly tapered air deflector, means supporting said air deflector in the ductwork outlet opening, an air current control member, a plurality of arms positionedwithin said air deflector means, a bellows having gas sealed therein and supported at one end by said arms, a cap seated on the other end of said bellows, means connecting said cap to and positioning said air current control member laterally of and Within said air deflector, resilient means mounted at one end on said cap, means adjustably connecting the opposite end of said resilient means to said arms, a plurality of pins aflixed to and extending laterally within said air deflector, a ring positioned within said air deflector and having a plurality of L-shaped slots each detachably receiving one of said pins therein providing a detachable connection therebetween and said arms being afiixed to said ring.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,022,523 11/1935 Roessler 98-40 2,057,494 10/1936 Leigh 9840 2,403,291 7/1946 Kurth 9S-40 2,407,284 9/1946 Kennedy 9840 2,543,978 3 1951 Matthiesen 23699 2,698,570 l/l955 Feinberg 98-40 ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner.

JOHN F. OCONNOR, Examiner.

W. E. WAYNER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN AN AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEM IN WHICH TREATED AIR IS DISCHARGED THROUGH A DUCTWORK APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTING THE DIRECTION OF THE DISCHARGED AIR UPON CHANGE IN THE TEMPERATURE OF THE AIR COMPRISING A BELLOWS HAVING GAS SEALED THEREIN AND POSITIONED IN THE DUCTWORK, A LEVER EXTENDING LATERALLY OF SAID BELLOWS, A PLURALITY OF EQUALLY SPACED HORIZONTAL SLATS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED IN THE DUCTWORK, A SECOND LEVER PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID SLATS, A PAIR OF ROLLERS ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SECOND LEVEL, ONE END OF SAID FIRST LEVER SLIDEABLY EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID ROLLERS PROVIDING A SLIDING AND OPERATIVE CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID LEVERS, MEANS ADJUSTABLY SUPPORTING SAID BELLOWS AT ONE END, A PAIR OF CAPS CONNECTED TO THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID FIRST LEVER, SAID BELLOWS HAVING ITS OTHER END SEATED IN ONE OF SAID CAPS AND ADJUSTABLE RESILIENT MEANS HAVING AN END SEATED IN THE OTHER OF SAID CAPS AND TENDING TO MOVE SAID FIRST LEVER OPPOSITE END IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THE DIRECTION OF EXPANSION OF SAID BELLOWS. 